Training device for racquet sports

ABSTRACT

A tennis training aid includes a glove and a wrist brace. An attachment mechanism extends between the back side of the glove and the wrist brace. The attachment mechanism has a first piece releasably connected to second piece so as to secure the glove, and thus the hand, at a desired angle relative to the wrist brace, and thus the wrist. The attachment mechanism preferably has an adjustable length so as to select the desired angle. Preferably, the attachment mechanism is a strap clip. The tennis training aid can also include both right-handed and left-handed gloves so as to accommodate for users having different dominant hands and allowing for use of the training device for the serve toss and the forehand and backhand strokes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/512544, filed on Oct. 13, 2014, entitled “TRAINING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PLAYING A SPORT WITH A RACQUET”, presently pending. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/512544 claims priority from Provisional Application No. 62/036,697 filed Aug. 13, 2014, and entitled “THE TENNISHAND BRACE.”

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIALS SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a device and method for training a person to play a sport using a racquet, as in tennis, racquetball, squash or badminton, or using a paddle, as in paddleball or ping pong. The device comprises a brace for constraining a person's arm, wrist and hand to remain in a precise relative orientation during play. The method concerns a technique for using the aforesaid brace and, while so doing, training the muscles of the arm, wrist and hand (1) to properly swing the racquet or paddle to engage the ball while avoiding undue muscle stress, and (2) to consistently throw the ball properly upward during a serve.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.

Hereinafter, the term “racquet” will be used to denote, and should be understood to include, all types of racquets and paddles that are used in playing various games by striking a ball or a shuttlecock. Such an implement comprises a usually oval-shaped “head” and an attached handle having a gripping portion at its free end. The head of a tennis, squash or badminton racquet normally consists of an open frame within which is stretched a netting of strings, for example of nylon. The head of a paddle normally consists of a flat, oval-shaped board covered on both sides with a mat of rubber or plastic.

Tennis players, as well as players of other games and sports that employ a racquet, are frequently unable to improve their skill beyond a certain level because of the way they grip and swing the racquet during play or the way they throw the ball in the air daring a serve. Practicing the sport while swinging the racquet incorrectly does not result in improvement and, in fact, may make it more difficult to improve one's skill because such activity reinforces the “muscle memory” of incorrect play, requiring the player to later unlearn trained-in movements of the arm, wrist and hand before new movements can be learned.

Numerous aids have been devised to assist and/or train persons in playing games that require arm, wrist and/or hand coordination. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,525 to Jackson discloses an wristband support which, is said, “enables the bowler to attain a substantially consistent lift and spin on the bowling ball as it is delivered towards the pins.” The U.S. Pat. No. 8,414,430 to McKinley discloses an arm and hand brace “designed to aid a basketball player in developing muscles to enhance a player's basketball skills including, for example, dribbling passing and/or shooting.”

The U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2010/0081981 to Cheng discloses a support for restraining motion of the wrist while playing sports such as golf and bowling, so as protect the wrist against injury. Similarly, various arm, wrist and hand braces have been developed to prevent muscle injury such as “tennis elbow” and “carpal tunnel syndrome.” References disclosing such devices are the U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2006/0229539 to Toda (“Therapeutic Tool for Tennis Elbow”) and the U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,460 to Working (“Carpal Brace”).

The game of tennis is particularly susceptible to causing muscle injury due to the highly unbalanced nature of the racquet. The head portion of the racquet adds such weight to the distal end of the handle that, when the proximal end of the handle is gripped with one hand and the racquet is swung improperly, it causes undue stress on the muscles of the wrist and arm.

Furthermore, because of the weight of the head, it is difficult for an untrained or improperly trained person to consistently control the swing of the racquet during all types of play.

Finally, tennis players often find it difficult to properly toss a tennis ball up in the air to the height required for an effective serve. The ability, or lack thereof, to serve the ball during a game is often a determinative factor in winning the game.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0123372, published on May 31, 2007 to Bilsey et al., discloses a tennis training aid which aims to achieve proper wrist positioning. The Bilsey publication discloses a variety of arrangements so as to connect the wrist of the wearer to the tennis racket so as to hold the tennis racket in a position relative to the wrist such that the hand of the wearer is in a proper orientation relative to the wrist. Many of the disclosed embodiments of the Bilsey publication seem rather cumbersome, including various cables or cords, in the form of elastic members which are attached between the wrist and the tennis racket. Other embodiments disclosed in the Bilsey publication include those which are attached to the wrist and to the hand of the wearer. Rigid members serve to hold the hand and wrist in the desired angular orientation.

U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0045801 (the '801 publication) published on Feb. 18, 2016 to the present inventor. The present application is a continuation-in-part of the '801 publication. The brace of the '801 publication utilizes a rigid plastic member which is secured to the hand and the wrist so as to hold the hand and the wrist in the desired angular orientation. The rigid plastic member is held against the wrist using utilizing a wrist brace, and to the hand utilizing either a glove or a set of straps.

During development of the product described in the '801 publication, it was discovered that not every user was comfortable or able to hold their hand at a full 90° angle relative to the plane the wrist. It was discovered that some adjustability or flexibility in the desired angle between the wrist and the hand of the user was desired in such a brace. Further, it was realized that the brace as shown in the '801 publication could not be interchangeably used on the left and right hands. While the concept of the device of the '801 publication could be used interchangeably with the left and right hands, it would be necessary to provide a separate rigid plastic brace and glove such that the device could be used on both the user's dominant hand and non-dominant hand.

As such, it is an object of the present invention to provide a training device which can be used interchangeably on the right and left hands of the user.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a training device which allows for adjustability of the angle between the hand and wrist of the user.

Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide a tennis training device which can be quickly changed between use for practicing the serve toss and use for practicing a forehand or backhand stroke.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A principal object of the present invention to provide a device and method to aid in training a person to play tennis and/or other, similar games of skill wherein a racquet is used to strike a ball. This objects, as well as other objects which will become apparent from the discussion that follows, are achieved, in accordance with the present invention, by restraining the player's hand that grips the handle of the racquet in such a way that its palm faces outward in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the player's wrist and arm.

The invention works to hold the player's hand in the appropriate position while gripping the racquet and/or striking the ball. This causes the player to fully extend the arm when addressing the ball, allowing the racquet to swing properly.

The present invention is particularly applicable to the game of tennis, although it is useful also for other games where a racquet is used, to strike a ball or shuttlecock.

The main difficulty that tennis players face when striking a tennis ball is their tendency to shorten their arm motion, thus not allowing the racquet to be swung properly. To perform the proper racquet motion, the tennis player needs to extend his/her arm. If that does not occur, a proper racquet swing is simply not possible. The player's arm needs to be at full extension from the shoulder when swinging the tennis racquet. This should be the goal of every tennis player, but even with practice this is difficult to achieve.

The device according to the invention serves to keep the plane of the player's hand between a 45 and 90 degree angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the player's arm, so that the hand moves directly toward the ball and extends the arm fully during a swing of the racquet.

By keeping the arm straight, the tennis player avoids the possibility of acquiring a so-called “tennis elbow”. The principal reason for “tennis elbow” is that the player shortens his/her arm to address the tennis ball by bending the elbow. If the elbow is bent while striking the ball, the tension and shock is absorbed by the arm muscles.

The device according to the invention is designed to prevent the player from bending his/her elbow and require the extension of the arm so that the shock, tension and vibration received from the strike of the ball by the racquet is passed to, and absorbed by, the rest of the body. By achieving the proper swing the tennis player avoids the danger of developing the dreaded “tennis elbow.”

The ball toss during a serve is considered by tennis instructors and the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) to be 90% of the serve. The issue that most beginners face in practicing the serve is repeating a consistent toss. The reason for inconsistency is that most players involve the wrist and hand to toss the ball up, instead of allowing the ball to be tossed by the smooth momentum of the entire arm moving up.

The device according to the invention is designed to keep the wrist and hand fixed in place to allow the tennis player to toss the tennis ball more consistently.

Through using the device according to the invention, a player can practice a certain racquet or ball toss motion in the same way each time and allow the body to get used to this proper motion. Using the device can help players develop the technique and remember the proper motion through “muscle memory.” Through repeating this motion with the aid of the device over a certain period of time, the player will be able to reproduce the same motion without the device, which is the goal of the present invention.

The device orients the player's hand with the palm facing outward in a plane disposed at an angle of between 45 and 90 degrees, and preferably in the range of 65 to 85 degrees, with respect to a longitudinal axis of the player's arm.

An embodiment of the present invention is a brace for racquet sports training. The brace includes a glove and a wrist brace. An attachment mechanism extends between the backside of the glove and the wrist brace. The attachment mechanism includes a first attachment piece releasably connected to a second attachment piece. The first attachment piece is secured to the glove and the second attachment pieces secured to the wrist brace.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the attachment mechanism has an adjustable length. Preferably, the attachment mechanism is a strap clip. The strap clip may include a male member secured to the glove and a female member secured to the wrist brace. Alternately, the strap clip can include a male member secured to the wrist brace and the female member secured to the glove. Preferably, the brace allows the hand of the wearer to be held at an angle of between 65° and 85° relative to a longitudinal axis of the wearer's arm.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the glove is a right-handed glove, the brace further including a left-hand glove with an attachment piece on the backside thereof identical to the attachment piece on the right-handed glove.

The present invention is also a training aid including glove and a wrist brace releasably connected backside of the glove. The wrist brace is adjustable relative to the glove so as to fix the glove a desired angle relative to the wrist brace. A first attachment piece may be affixed to the backside of the glove and a second attachment piece may be affixed to the wrist brace. The first attachment piece is releasably connected to the second attachment piece. Preferably, at least one of the first attachment piece and second attachment piece is adjustable in length.

In an embodiment, the training device includes a strap clip having a male member and a female member. The male member is attached to one of the glove and the wrist brace and the female member is attached to another of the glove and the wrist brace. Preferably, the strap member is adjustable in length.

In an embodiment, the glove is a right-handed glove and the training aid further includes a left-handed glove. The left-handed glove has an attachment piece affixed to a backside of thereof which is identical to the first attachment piece of the right-handed glove.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a tennis training aid for use in practicing forehand, and backhand and serve motions, which includes a right-handed glove with an attachment piece on the backside thereof, left-handed glove with an attachment piece on a backside thereof, the attachment piece of the left-handed glove right-handed glove being identical, and a wrist brace having a corresponding attachment piece attached thereto. The corresponding attachment piece of the wrist brace is releasably connectable to either of the attachment piece of the right-handed glove or the attachment piece of the left-handed glove. In the present invention, the user of the tennis training aid chooses between the right-handed glove in the left-handed glove. Preferably, the wrist brace is adjustable relative to either of the right-handed glove or the left-handed glove so as to fix an angle between a plane of the wrist of the user and the hand of the user. Preferably, the angle is a minimum angle.

In an embodiment, the attachment pieces of the right-handed glove and the left-handed glove and the corresponding attachment piece of the left-handed glove comprise a strap clip with an additional male or female piece. The strap clip preferably has a strap for adjusting the angle between the wrist brace and either of the right-handed glove and left-handed glove.

This foregoing Section is intended to describe, in generality, the preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is understood that modifications to this preferred embodiment can be made within the scope of the present invention. As such, this Section should not to be construed, in any way, as limiting of the broad scope of the present invention. The present invention should only be limited by the following claims and their legal equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a detailed view of a tennis player's hand properly holding a tennis racquet.

FIG. 2 is a representational diagram of a tennis player during a forehand swing of the racquet, while maintaining the hand orientation shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a representational diagram of a tennis player during a backhand swing of the racquet, while maintaining the hand orientation shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a representational diagram of a tennis player during a serve of the ball, while maintaining the hand orientation shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a representational diagram showing the orientation of a player's arm wrist and hand which is maintained by the brace according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 a side view showing the tennis training aid, or brace, of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a rear view showing the back of the hand of the wearer of the brace of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an isolated view of a preferred embodiment of the attachment mechanism of the tennis training aid of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-11 of the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified with the same reference numerals.

The discussion below and the embodiments illustrated in the figures particularly relate to the sport of tennis. It will be understood, however, that the invention is equally applicable to other sports which are played with a racquet.

Furthermore, the discussion and figures make no mention of the size of the brace according to the invention. It will be understood that the brace can be adjusted in size, and/or made and sold in different sizes, to fit any size person. Preferably the brace is fabricated in small, medium and large sizes.

FIG. 1 shows the preferred orientation of the arm 1, wrist 2 and hand 3 while gripping the handle of a tennis racquet 4. Since for a beginner, at least, this orientation is a somewhat unnatural, training is normally required to impart the proper way to swing the racquet in both forehand and backhand. The aim of the present invention is to maintain the tennis player's hand in the appropriate position while swinging the racquet to strike the ball. This forces the player to hold his/her arm straight while swinging the racquet.

FIG. 2-4 show a tennis player engaged in swinging a racquet in forehand (FIG. 2) and in backhand (FIG. 3), and in tossing a ball (FIG. 4) during a serve. In all three diagrams, the player maintains the arm, wrist and hand orientation shown in FIG. 1 such that the moving arm remains straight.

While playing the game of tennis, there is a need to:

-   -   (a) ensure proper motion of the arm holding the racquet during         both forehand and backhand swings;     -   (b) prevent the formation of “tennis elbow” which results from         incorrect arm motion; and     -   (c) improve the ball toss motion during a serve.

The present invention is intended to fulfill all three needs by maintaining the arm, wrist and hand in the proper orientation when holding the racquet and tossing the ball.

FIG. 5 shows, with a diagram in side view, an arm 1, wrist 2 and hand 3 in this proper orientation. As illustrated there the plane 6 defined by the surface of the palm of the hand 3 is maintained, to the extent that it is possible and also reasonably comfortable for each individual, at a 90 degree angle with respect to the axis 8 of the arm. In practice, the angle will be somewhat less than 90 degrees, in the range of between 45 and 90 degrees but preferably in the range of 65 to 85 degrees.

The present invention provides a brace device, designed to fit on a tennis player's arm, wrist and hand, which is used when practicing the forehand and backhand swings of the racquet (either the right or left arm or both) and also the ball toss motion of the arm during a serve. As noted above, the device can be made in different sizes to fit both children and adults of all sizes and ages. The device is intended to be used only to practice one of the three motions at any given time. When practicing the forehand, it is put on the favored/dominant hand. When practicing the backhand and the service toss, it is used on the opposite/non-dominant hand.

The brace device constrains the wrist and hand against movement with respect to the arm, while allowing the hand to grip a racquet in such a way that the palm faces outward in a plane disposed at an angle in the range of 45 to 90 degrees with respect to the axis of the player's wrist and arm.

During training, the device is applied to the player's arm, wrist and hand to hold the hand in this orientation. The player practices swinging a racquet and/or tossing a ball in the air until muscles of his/her arm, wrist and hand have learned to maintain this orientation while performing this activity. The device is then removed and, due to the training, the player plays tennis (or another sport that requires a racquet) while continuing to hold the racquet with the arm, wrist and hand in the same orientation.

Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a side view of the tennis training aid 10 the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The tennis training aid 10 is in the form of a brace. The tennis training aid 10 includes a glove worn on the hand of the user and a wrist brace 14 worn on the wrist of the user. As shown in FIG. 6, the glove 12 of the tennis training aid 10 is preferably a fingerless glove allowing the user adequate grip on the handle of the tennis or other racquet. Preferably, the glove 12 of the present invention can take form of a bicycle glove, or weightlifting glove.

The wrist brace 14 can take a number of forms, including a strap secured around the wrist of the user with a hook-and-loop attachment. Other ways of attaching the wrist brace 14 are of course possible, however a hook-and-loop attachment provides for quick placement and removal of the wrist brace 14.

An attachment mechanism 16 extends between the back of the glove 12 and the wrist brace 14. The attachment mechanism 16 includes a first attachment piece 18 affixed to and extending from and securely attached to the wrist brace 14, and a second attachment piece 20 which extends from and is securely attached to the back side of the glove 12. The first attachment piece 18 and second attachment piece 20 are shown as connected at attachment point 22. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the attachment mechanism 16 maintains the hand of the user at an angle relative to the axis of the wrist and arm of the user. Preferably, this angle is between 65 and 85°.

The attachment mechanism 16 is preferably adjustable in length. This allows adjustment of the attachment mechanism 16 to accommodate for different preferences and flexibility of different users. An adjustment strap 24 is shown as extending from the first attachment piece 18. The adjustment strap 24 can be manipulated so as to increase or decrease the effective length of the attachment mechanism, and thus the angle between the hand and the arm of the user.

As compared with the rigid plastic brace of the applicant's earlier application and the Bilsey publication, the attachment mechanism 16 of the present invention establishes a minimum angle between the hand and the arm of the user. For example, if the attachment mechanism is set such that the angle between the hand and wrist of the user is as great as the user is comfortable with (say, a minimum angle of 65°), the tennis training aid 10 allows the hand to bend further back beyond the minimum angle, which may help with absorbing forces associated with striking a ball. This feature allows for a more comfortable experience as compared to the rigid brace of the prior art and of the applicant's earlier application. The feature likely also helps prevent injury and ensures repeatability of the trained swing when the present invention is not in use. The present invention, due to its flexibility and versatility, it can be use by players of all ages, skill level and flexibility.

Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a rear view of the tennis training aid 10 as worn by a user. The user is shown as holding the grip 4 of a tennis racquet. In FIG. 7, it can be seen how the attachment mechanism 16 is in the form of a strap clip. As such, the attachment mechanism 16 has a male member and a female member. The strap clip allows for easy connection and disconnection of the glove 12 from the wrist brace 14. The first attachment piece 18 and second attachment piece 20 are shown as being securely attached to the glove and wrist brace at 28 and 26, respectively. While points 26 and 28 show stitching, the attachment mechanism 16 to be attached to the glove 12 and wrist brace 14 in a number of ways.

Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown a preferred embodiment of the attachment mechanism 16, in the form of a strap clip. As shown in FIG. 8, the attachment mechanism 16 includes a first attachment piece 18 in the form of a female strap clip member, while the second attachment piece 20 is in the form of a male member of a strap clip. Use of such a clip allows for quick and easy connection and disconnection of the first and second attachment pieces 18 and 20. Other clips can be utilized, including those which allow for fine tuning via dial mechanisms. Preferably, the tennis training aid in accordance with the teachings and present invention include a right-handed glove and a left-handed glove. (Note: FIG. 6 illustrates a left-handed glove, while FIG. 7 illustrates a right-handed glove.)

A single wrist brace 14 will be provided with the tennis training aid. By providing both left-handed and right-handed gloves, the tennis training aid of the present invention allows for use during forehand, backhand and serve toss motions regardless of whether the user is right-handed or left-handed. In the case of a right-handed user, the user would wear the left-handed glove to practice his or her serve toss or backhand stroke and the right-handed glove to practice his or her forehand. The wrist brace would be positioned on the wrist adjacent whichever hand was wearing the glove the time. Because the attachment mechanism of the present invention allows for quick and easy disconnection and reconnection of the attachment pieces, switching between use of the tennis training aid on the right hand and left hand can be easily and quickly accomplished.

As compared with prior art (for example, the Bilsey publication), the present invention is much less cumbersome and can be used with any type of grip. The relatively short length of the straps associated with the attachment mechanism of the present invention are much less likely to become entangled or cause awkwardness as compared to the numerous straps associated with the device of the Bilsey publication.

There has thus been shown and described a novel training device for playing a sport with a racquet which fulfills all the objects and advantages sought therefor. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the subject, invention will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and the accompanying drawings which disclose the preferred embodiments thereof All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention, which is to be limited only by the claims which follow. 

I claim:
 1. A brace for racquet sports training comprising: a glove; a wrist brace; and an attachment mechanism extending between a back side of said glove and said wrist brace, said attachment mechanism comprising a first attachment piece releasably connected to a second attachment piece, said first attachment piece being secured to said glove, said second attachment piece being secured to said wrist brace.
 2. The brace of claim 1, said attachment mechanism having an adjustable length.
 3. The brace of claim 1, said attachment mechanism being a strap clip.
 4. The brace of claim 3, said strap clip comprising: a male member secured to said glove; and a female member secured to said wrist brace.
 5. The brace of claim 3, said strap clip comprising: a male member secured to said wrist brace; and a female member secured to said glove.
 6. The brace of claim 1, wherein said attachment mechanism holds a hand of a wearer at an angle of between 65 and 85 degrees relative to the wrist and arm of the wearer.
 7. The brace of claim 1, said glove being a right-handed glove, said brace further comprising a left-handed glove having an attachment piece on a back side thereof, said attachment piece of said left-handed glove being identical to said first attachment piece of said right-handed glove.
 8. A training aid comprising: a glove; and a wrist brace releasably connected to a back side of said glove, said wrist brace being adjustable relative to said glove so as to fix said glove at a desired angle relative to said wrist brace.
 9. The training aid of claim 8, further comprising: a first attachment piece affixed to said back side of said glove; and a second attachment piece affixed to said wrist brace, said first attachment piece being releasably connected to said second attachment piece.
 10. The training aid of claim 9, at least one of said first attachment piece and said second attachment piece being adjustable in length.
 11. The training aid of claim 8, further comprising: a strap clip having a male member and a female member, said male member being attached to one of said glove and said wrist brace, said female member being attached to another of said glove and said wrist brace.
 12. The training aid of claim 11, said strap member being adjustable in length.
 13. The training aid of claim 9, said glove being a right-handed glove, said training aid further comprising a left-handed glove, said left-handed glove having an attachment piece affixed to a back side thereof, said attachment piece of said left-handed glove being identical to said first attachment piece of said right-handed glove.
 14. The training aid of claim 8, said desired angle being between 65 and 85 degrees.
 15. A tennis training aid for use in practicing forehand, backhand and serve motions, the tennis training aid comprising: a right-handed glove having an attachment piece on a back side thereof; a left-handed glove having an attachment piece on a back side thereof, said attachment piece of said left-handed glove being identical to said attachment piece of said right-handed glove; and a wrist brace having a corresponding attachment piece attached thereto, said corresponding attachment piece of said wrist brace being releasably connectable to either of said attachment piece of said right-handed glove or said attachment piece of said left-handed glove.
 16. The tennis training aid of claim 15, wherein a user of the tennis training aid selects between said right-handed glove and said left-handed glove.
 17. The tennis training aid of claim 15, wherein said wrist brace is adjustable relative to either of said right-handed glove and said left-handed glove so as to fix an angle between a plane of the wrist of the wearer and the hand of the wearer.
 18. The tennis training aid of claim 17, wherein said angle is a minimum angle.
 19. The tennis training aid of claim 15, said attachment pieces of said right-handed glove and said left handed glove and said corresponding attachment piece of said left-handed glove comprising a strap clip with an additional male or female piece.
 20. The tennis training aid of claim 19, said strap clip having a strap for adjusting the angle between the wrist brace and either of the right-handed glove and left-handed glove. 